Arkansas Apprenticeship Programs
As of September 2026, Arkansas fields 7,000 active apprentices across 310 registered programs, a mid-sized system with 57.2% completion.
- Active apprentices
- 7,000
- National rank
- #32 / 51
- Completion rate
- 57.2%
- Completion wage
- $26
Arkansas ranks #32 of 51 jurisdictions by active registered apprentices - about 0.8% of all U.S. registered apprentices. Its 57.2% completion rate sits 1 pts below the 58.2% national average, and apprentices who finish raise their pay by 81% - from $14 to $26 an hour.
Apprenticeship filing desk
Jurisdiction AR · Arkansas
Arkansas registered-apprenticeship filing: 7,000 active apprentices (rank 32/51), 310 programs, 57.2% completion.
- BOOK-SMALL 7,000
- RANK-LOWER #32
- PROG-SPARSE 310
- COMP-MID 57.2%
- WAGE-STRONG +81%
- SHARE-SMALL 0.8%
- NEW-FY 1,800
Nearest enrollment peer: Alabama (200 apprentice gap)
U.S. Department of Labor registered-apprenticeship filing stamps for this jurisdiction. Read: fastest growing occupations 2034
Where Arkansas sits among all 51 jurisdictions
Enrollment by jurisdiction with Arkansas marked mid-field. Inventory size is not a quality ranking.
Arkansas vs all states by active apprentices
Where this state's DOL registered-apprenticeship enrollment sits among every tracked jurisdiction
7,000 32nd of 51 higher than 19 of 51 states
States and territories, banded by active apprentices
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Labor registered-apprenticeship data · 2026-09-25
Source: U.S. Department of Labor registered-apprenticeship data, compiled by PlainWorkforce.
Reading Arkansas's numbers
What stands out in this state's DOL filing, most distinctive first. Every figure below is computed from the state's own row in the dataset.
The signature stat: wage lift
The standout metric here is a flat wage arc: 81.1% growth from start to completion, less than 73% of states manage.
Where the scale sits
7,000 active apprentices rank 32 of 51 nationally, 0.8% of all registered enrollment.
Completion near the average
A 57.2% completion rate holds within two points of the national average (58.2%).
Middle-of-the-road program size
310 registered programs at 22.6 apprentices per program lands in the middle tercile of states; program structure is not what distinguishes this system.
Steady intake
A 25.7% intake ratio (1,800 new apprentices this fiscal year) keeps Arkansas in the middle tercile for pipeline speed.
Arkansas's largest registered-apprenticeship occupations, ranked by AI-exposure score, most sit well below the 37% occupation-wide average (the dotted line), which is exactly why the trades are AI-resilient. Bars link to the full occupation profile where tracked.
- Electrician 13%
- Sheet Metal Worker 23%
- Plumber 27%
- Carpenter 28%
- HVAC Mechanic -
AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis of O*NET task data; the 37% line is the average across all 832 tracked occupations. Lower = more AI-resilient.
Frequently asked questions
How many apprentices does Arkansas have?
Arkansas reports about 7,000 active registered apprentices in 310 programs, ranking 32 of 51 jurisdictions.
What is the apprenticeship completion rate in Arkansas?
Roughly 57.2%, effectively at the national average of 58.2%.
How much do apprentices earn in Arkansas?
Apprentices start near $14.25/hour and finish near $25.80. The 81.1% progression is flatter than in most states.
What are the top apprenticeship trades in Arkansas?
The dataset's largest registered-apprenticeship occupations for Arkansas are Electrician, Plumber, HVAC Mechanic, Carpenter, Sheet Metal Worker — construction trades dominate registered apprenticeship in every state.
How does Arkansas compare with neighboring systems?
On the dataset's own axes: rank 32 of 51 by enrollment, 57.2% completion, 81.1% wage progression. The comparison links below open the states adjacent in rank.
Compare other states
What to do with this
Use Arkansas' apprenticeship numbers above to plan a specific trade path, not just compare states.
- Real wage and growth numbers weigh an apprenticeship path against a college degree. Apprenticeships vs college
- Browse the full occupation directory to check wage and AI exposure for a specific trade. Browse all occupations
- Through 2034, these are the occupations projected to add the most jobs. Fastest-growing occupations
Apprenticeship figures come from U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship data; enrollment and completion vary by program and year.
Every figure on PlainWorkforce is rendered directly from BLS/O*NET source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Enrollment and wage figures are rounded. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these figures, or report a data error. Data current as of U.S. Department of Labor, Registered Apprenticeship.
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, Registered Apprenticeship (active apprentices, registered programs, completion rates, and wages by state), O*NET (occupation task data, for the linked AI-exposure scores).